Method for selecting desirable images from among a plurality of images and apparatus thereof

Abstract

An image processing method includes calculating a desirability score which indicates a desirability of the image, for each of a series of images captured in a time-sequential manner, based on a recognition result of the image, and selecting a plurality of images as best-shots in which desirability scores are a local maximum value in a time-sequence, from the series of images.

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
 a calculation unit configured to calculate, for each of a series of images captured in a time-sequential manner, a desirability score that indicates desirability of the image; and 
 a selection unit configured to select a plurality of images in which the desirability scores are respectively local maximum values in the time-sequence, from the series of images 
 wherein when the selection unit selects a new image of which the desirability score is the local maximum value, the selection unit compares the desirability scores of the new image and a previously selected image if a time interval between the new image and the previously selected image in the time-sequence is equal to or less than a predetermined time threshold value, and 
 the selection unit prohibits selection of the new image, if the desirability score of the new image is not higher than that of the previously selected image. 
 
     
     
       2. The image processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the selection unit selects images in which the desirability scores are local maximum values in the time-sequence, and are larger than a predetermined score threshold value. 
     
     
       3. The image processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the selection unit selects images in which the desirability scores are local maximum values in the time-sequence, and time intervals from other local maximum values in the time-sequence are larger than a predetermined time threshold value. 
     
     
       4. The image processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein when the selection unit selects the new image of which the desirability score is the local maximum value, the selection unit selects the new image as a substitute for the previously selected image, if the desirability score of the previously selected image is lower than that of the new image. 
     
     
       5. The image processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the calculation unit calculates the desirability scores of respective images based on recognition results of the images. 
     
     
       6. The image processing apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the calculation unit calculates the desirability scores of respective images, based on at least one of smiles of persons scores, number of persons scores, and frontalities of the person scores, which are obtained from results of face recognition processing of the images. 
     
     
       7. The image processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a display control unit configured to display a display image selected by the selection unit on the display device. 
     
     
       8. The image processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a storage control unit configured to store an image selected by the selection unit and other images at different compression ratios. 
     
     
       9. An image processing method comprising:
 calculating a desirability score which indicates a desirability of the image, for each of a series of images captured in a time-sequential manner; and 
 selecting a plurality of images in which the desirability scores are local maximum values in the time-sequence, from the series of images, 
 wherein when selecting a new image of which the desirability score is the local maximum value, the desirability scores of the new image and a previously selected image are compared if a time interval between the new image and the previously selected image in the time-sequence is equal to or less than a predetermined time threshold value, and selecting a new image is prohibited, if the desirability score of the new image is not higher than that of the previously selected image. 
 
     
     
       10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for instructing a computer to implement image processing, the method comprising:
 calculating a desirability score which indicates a desirability of the image, for each of a series of images captured in a time-sequential manner; and 
 selecting a plurality of images in which the desirability scores are local maximum values in the time-sequence, from the series of images, 
 wherein when selecting a new image of which the desirability score is the local maximum value, the desirability scores of the new image and a previously selected image are compared if a time interval between the new image and the previously selected image in the time-sequence is equal to or less than a predetermined time threshold value, and selecting a new image is prohibited, if the desirability score of the new image is not higher than that of the previously selected image.